Automatic test equipment for the testing and measuring of electronic signals and electronic video signals is known to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Electronics is one of the primary markets for automatic test equipment and drives much innovation in this realm due to constantly evolving and demanding requirements. Electronics are universally installed on numerous commercial and military platforms including automobiles, jet fighters, helicopters, tanks and other mobile vehicles. Often, in-place testing of such electronics is not always supported with a sufficient built-in test function (commonly referred to as a BIT function) and system trouble reports require time consuming instrument (UUT) removal from the platform. The situation becomes even more complex when an interconnected system is failing and all of the constituent modules of the system must be removed for bench testing. Radar displays or multi-function displays are examples of such an interconnected system.
Portable automatic test equipment for the testing of video devices is also known to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. Such test equipment requires a physical electrical connection to the unit or units under test (UUT) in order to capture a video signal and/or generate a video signal. In instances where physical connections are not possible, typical presently available portable automatic test equipment is unable to perform its mission.
Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a new method that does not require physical electrical connections to the video or indicator system and can still identify and verify images from these indicators. Such a method would reduce unnecessary UUT removal, thereby producing measurable economic and time savings.